“GRANDDAD had stallions in the ’40s and ’50s and my aim always, since I was 10 years of age, was to have my own stud farm. That was always going to happen.”

It’s 20 years since the Connemara stallion Black Shadow arrived at Derryronane Stud in Swinford to fulfil multi-tasking owner Liam Lynskey’s plan.

“I bought Black Shadow as a just-approved two-year-old in September from Raymond Conneely in Connemara. He was the start of it.”

Over the past two decades, the Silver Shadow son has had a number of stable companions, from the other current Connemara: Whitethorn Buachaill Bui; the Irish Draught father-son pair of the late Moylough Bouncer and DS Ballagh Bouncer; Recharge (TB), DS Are You With Me (HOLST), the Irish Sport Pony Hans and the latest addition: Taylor, a four-year-old cob.

“Cob crosses are selling so well, so after seeing this gorgeous palomino and his ‘bell bottoms’ feathers... it’s like any stallion. If he breeds like himself, you’ll sell them all day long. I’ll also be standing Rhynn Blackie Go Lucky (ID), I presented him for his owner John Niland at the Cavan inspections last year.”

Is there any other country of the same size that has as many different types, breeds and markets? “Probably not, Ireland is very mixed, but the tide moves a lot with it. The one thing that’s more evident, year on year, is temperament. To have that is key. That’s the TIH, the Draughts, the Irish horses in general. The temperament gene is there in them.”

Hats off: Liam Lynskey on his lap of honour with DS Bounce With Me Baby, the Irish Draught mare champion at Dublin in 2022 \ Susan Finnerty

Location location

The “brilliant strike rate” of Irish riders, again per population, also crops up. And Mayo produces its fair share. “Like Hannah’s brother Jonathan [Gordon] is competing in Germany; there’s the Duffys - Alex and Michael G - great lads; the two Nallons - Ciaran and Katie - both of them rode Hans, my sports pony and Ciaran rode Black Shadow and won a leg of the Spring Series with him. He’s on the Global Champions Tour teams now, great lad. All great workers.”

While Co Mayo is steeped in ‘horse history’, is a west of Ireland base an advantage or disadvantage?

“It’s an advantage. There’s a lot of breeding in the west, and we’re in a great location in Swinford because an hour will bring you a lot of places, and two hours will bring you to even more. We have mares coming from Donegal and from Clare, so we’re in a good location.”

And to travel to the “four big days in my calendar every year. The first one is the stallion inspections in Cavan, the next one is Balmoral, Dublin and then the Clifden sales in October.”

Sea change

Dublin is where the Derryronane team, including stable jockey Hannah Gordon, scored a memorable win in the Irish Draught performance final for six-year-olds and over. “We’ve had unbelievable days with Black Shadow but yeah, DS Ballagh Bouncer’s win last year was brilliant.

“He was there or thereabouts every year that he went to Dublin, and there were times I didn’t want him to win, but I’d love him to have been second, because now that he’s won, he can’t go back with Hannah. We loved the journey with him,” he added about the grey, bred in Co Roscommon by Brendan Duffy.

You may as well ask a stallion owner to pick a favourite child as to nominate a stallion. “It’d be hard to put [DS Ballagh] Bouncer above Shadow or Shadow over Bouncer. As Hannah said, ‘We’d never have produced Bouncer, if we didn’t have Black Shadow.”

Another stallion was responsible for a sea change. “I bought DS Are You With Me 10 years ago this year, the same time as I changed my system here to breed nice event-type horses. Good looking, good step, temperament and some of his offspring have had great success in the young event horse classes. He’s a Holsteiner with over 50% thoroughbred blood and is proving to be a super cross with the Irish mares.

“I sold one as a five-year-old to a lady over 70 for Riding Club events. That particular horse’s mother was a half-sister to Murchu, who jumped 1.60m, and I bought her off my uncle Sean Murphy.”

Another successful buy from a family member was the Irish Draught mare Lady In Red Star, bought from Hughie Murphy, and a prolific showring champion for both owners.

We Did It: Liam and Hannah Gordon celebrate after DS Ballagh Bouncer won the six-year-old and over Irish Draught Performance Championship at Dublin last year \ Susan Finnerty

Cash in, move on

Lynskey is pragmatic about shooting for Olympic stars, saying: “At the end of the day, the majority of our broodmares are not good enough. Spending on big stud fees on an average mare to breed that horse that’s going to jump in the Olympics? If your mare doesn’t have a good family, you shouldn’t be spending a big stud fee on that. And that’s where I think the profit or loss is going to be.

“It’s grand seeing these big, fancy figures at sales. But what did it cost to get that foal there? And that’s where I feel the Irish horse will win out at the end, because he’s going to be low-cost to get there. Yeah, he’s a slow burner to get him to the production stage, but I’ve noticed myself producing event-type horses, that if you bring them along nice and steady to four or five years old, it’s the time to sell. It’s not that big of an investment into them at that stage.

“Probably the worst thing that could happen is have a horse that you think is going to be a good one, because you’ll keep him and you’ll spend more and more money. He’s the one that’ll cost you a fortune. If you have that nice, good-looking horse, good step, trainable that anyone can ride, you’ll turn him over as a four or five-year-old, get a nice few pounds for him, and you’ll start again.”

Busy times

Known for his trademark hat, Lynskey wears many other varieties: “I help run the young event horse series here in the West, the TIHA show in Mullingar in September, Charles Hanley with their foal show in October and the West of Ireland young horse championship that started last year was my brainchild. We got money from Horse Sport Ireland this year for that and I have to thank HSI and DAFM for supporting these, they do put it back into the production end.”

He also serves as a board member with the Irish Horse Board - “we’re there to represent the breeders” - and sponsors the Connacht Grand Prix league under his Derryronane Stud banner. “It’s something I wanted to do for years and two years ago, we had no sponsor and I said that I’ll do it. I usually do these things for three years. So this is my third year in it. Yeah, it’s great to be involved and support it.”

Another organisation is the Traditional Irish Horse Association. “They’re a great team to work with, all volunteers. When you look at the TIH, the numbers, it’s a big mountain to climb, but it’s something that could come back stronger than ever.

“Going back to the temperament issue and how easy the TIH is to produce - they could be the best leisure horse in the world.

“But of course, people say, is there enough money out of breeding and producing traditional horses? You have to wait those few extra years.”

Family matters

How does he keep so many plates spinning? “Good people around me. Matt Gordon and his daughter Hannah are key to the success. Baileys Horse Feeds have been lovely supporters of mine for a long time too and then, of course, there’s the family.

“My good wife Grainne does all the background stuff, paperwork, clothes ironed, white shirts washed, flask and sandwiches ready, everything ready for us to hit the road at the weekends, the three kids and myself. We’re going to River View tomorrow as Padraic Corcoran’s spring league is starting up.

“The kids are a massive help around the yard. Katie is doing her Leaving Cert this year, she rode her own Irish Draught mare at Dublin and does a lot of the reels. The two youngest - William and Grace - are show jumping at the moment. William helps feed the horses with me every evening and Grace is out with her ponies. They all ride and they all hunt with me with the North Mayo Harriers.

“And they all help out, of course, at the TIHA performance championship at Mullingar.

“Saturday and Sunday are my days off, we go hunting or with the ponies. Six o’clock comes in the evening. I go up to the yard, there’s mares to be covered, and I forget about work. That, and my weekends with the kids, are my downtime.

“There is no medicine prescribed that’ll do for the brain what a horse will do for you.”